Rochester Police Department Reorganization

Mayor Lovely A. Warren and Rochester Police Chief Michael Ciminelli are moving forward with the Rochester Police Department Reorganization Plan, which returns Officers to a neighborhood beat structure so they can engage in true community policing activities. The plan will replace the current two-division patrol model with a five-section model that gives individual Officers smaller areas of responsibility, thus enabling them to spend more time engaging citizens.

The five sections will be organized into a total of 37 individual patrol beats, an increase from the current 22 Police Service Areas (PSAs) in the current two-division structure. This constitutes an average reduction of about 40 percent in the size of individual patrol areas.

RPD has constructed a staffing model that retains the same number of police officers assigned to patrol duties as exists in the current two-division structure, and a roughly equivalent number of police officers assigned to patrol in each part of the City.

RPD solicited extensive community and internal RPD input in developing this plan. Overall, there was broad community support for both the five-section model in general, and the originally proposed section boundaries. However, the plan was modified based on community feedback at section-level meetings.

RPD will continue to "reorganize in place," by initially working out of its current three police patrol facilities at 1099 Jay St. (Lake and Genesee sections), 630 N. Clinton Ave. (Clinton and Goodman Sections), and the Sibley Building at 30 N. Clinton Ave (Central Section).

The estimated ongoing additional cost to RPD’s operational budget commencing in FY 2015-16 is $326,280 annually. This constitutes an increase of about one-third of one percent (0.38%) of RPD’s annual operating budget.

RPD and Neighborhood and Business Development (NBD) are working to finalize a joint alignment for the Neighborhood Service Centers (NSCs) to ensure continuing coordination, and effective resolution of neighborhood and quality of life issues. A proposal for the new alignment will be submitted to the Mayor in October, 2014

Section Captains Named

Mayor Lovely Warren and Acting Chief Fred Bell announced on November 10, 2014 that five captains have been selected to command the new Police Sections under the Rochester Police Department’s new five section-patrol model.

The new captains and their sections are:

Captain Wilson Johnson, Clinton Section: Captain Johnson has 32 years of service, including three as police captain. He is currently assigned as a patrol captain in the East Division

Captain Lloyd Cuyler, Goodman Section: Captain Cuyler has 27 years of service, including eight as a police captain. He is currently assigned as a patrol captain in the East Division.

Captain Raymond Dearcop, Lake Section: Captain Dearcop has 20 years of service, including three as police captain. He is currently assigned as a patrol captain in the West Division.

Captain Peter Leach, Central Section: Captain Leach has 30 years of service, including four as a police captain. He is currently assigned as the Downtown Detail Captain.

Captain Tony McMullen, Genesee Section: Captain McMullen has 19 years of service, including three as police captain. He is currently assigned as Acting Commander for the West Division.

Community Input

Mayor Warren and members of the RPD held a series of community meetings throughout December 2014 and January 2015. The meetings were held in each of the sections to give residents and other stakeholders opportunities to meet the new captains and learn about the latest developments in the re-organization schedule.

The Goals

The primary benefit of the reorganization is a closer and more harmonious relationship between the community and RPD; as well as achieving an overall more effective policing model. The effort is responsive to both the expressed desires of the community for neighborhood policing, as well as an internal push from the rank and file officers to return to single car beats.

The goals of the reorganization are to:

Maintain and exceed current levels of service

Increase community policing initiatives

Connect officers to smaller, neighborhood-based patrol beats thereby increasing familiarity among officers and those served Decentralize police services to neighborhoods

Build an analytical model that allows flexibility for continual evaluation and adjustment

Preserve long-term financial sustainability

Benefits

Neighborhood-based patrol beats will be designed within smaller sections to maintain neighborhood integrity and connect individual officers to specific, smaller, neighborhood-based beats.

“Reorganizing in place” will be cost-effective for the initial implementation since there are no capital costs for building acquisitions, and only limited cost for building renovation and technology infrastructure. While some additional costs are likely (additional supervisory positions, cars, etc), this design will allow RPD to staff the new model at or close to the current (FY 2013/14) authorized sworn strength. The plan also maximizes the City’s investment in the Sibley Building. A phased-in implementation plan will spread the full cost over several budget years.

While administrative functions will remain housed in the current facilities, police operations will return to the neighborhood level. The plan will also create new section-level identities.

The plan is built around a process that allows flexibility for continual evaluation and adjustment—which is critical for a phased-in implementation. The data analysis tools created by the Core Reorganization Team will be used to produce similar beat and staffing structures; and establish an analytical model for future evaluation and adjustment.